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Guidelines in Capstone Project

for
Electronics
Engineering
Systems
Background Information on the
Capstone Design Project
The Design Problem
The spirit of the Capstone Design Project is provided by ABET (the
Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology), which accredits all of
the national engineering programs. The following is an excerpt from ABET
accreditation guidelines:
Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component or
process to meet desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often
iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering
sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated
objective. Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the
establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction,
testing and evaluation. The engineering design component of a curriculum
must include at least some of the following features: development of
student creativity, use of open-ended problems, development and
use of design methodology, formulation of design problem
statements and specifications, consideration of alternative
solutions,
feasibility
considerations,
and
detailed
system
descriptions. Further, it is essential to include a variety of realistic
constraints such as economic factors, safety, reliability, aesthetics,
ethics, and social impact.

This statement is the first test of whether or not a proposed project is


of an adequate scope and complexity for a capstone design project.
In general, a design project needs to be the design of a device,
machine, or system, which is related to the courses in Electronics
Engineering .
Since this is a capstone design project, the objective is that the project
illustrates competency in core curriculum material in Electronics
Engineering.

Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

The projects may include (and it is highly encouraged) non-electronics


portions such as instrumentation and mechanical for control and
feedback, or programmed logic to drive operation.
Projects must be open-ended with many alternative solutions.
Projects must be of a scope that a team of students is necessary for it
to be accomplished within the time required.
Projects should be creatively challenging and may be consumer,
industrial, or custom products.

Teamwork
The capstone design project should emphasize teamwork as part of the design
process. Each member of your team is expected to carry an equal share of
the workload.
If an individual or individuals within a team are not supporting the efforts of
team, then the instructor needs to know about it, ASAP. If you let it slide to
end of the course, then there is nothing that can be done to help correct
situation: the grade of the entire team will most likely suffer, as well as that of
carried individual.

the
the
the
the

Student teams should be from 3 or more students depending on the


complexity of the project. If the project requires less than three students then it
is probably too simple or is not well suited to a team process. Ideally, the project
should have enough key sub-assemblies, or design partitions to warrant
the number of students in the team. More students on a team means
more work submitted, not less work per student.
Lastly, teams should be diverse, in experience level, age, gender, and ethnicity.
The instructor maintains the right to assign teams to meets this objective. Diversity
in the workplace is a reality and a key mission of the University and students need
to learn to work beside a diverse group of people to be successful in their careers.

Criteria for a Suitable Capstone Project


1. Project requires engineering/design analysis from two or more core courses.
( These will be identified in the Theoretical framework)
2. Projects require engineering/design analysis from one or more elective courses.
(These will be identified in the Theoretical Framework).
3. Projects must involve design efforts in one or more of the following disciplines.
4. Project scope should be complex enough that each team member is responsible
for a major component of the design defined as:
A design sub-assembly, where all sub-assemblies are necessary for the
overall success of the project.
A complex and involved part of the design process, such as a complex
numerical analysis, or solid model generation. Fabrication is not sufficient
to be considered major component as the objective of the capstone

Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

design, is design, not vocational training in machining operations,


welding, etc.
5. The design problem must be open-ended, that is several design alternatives
are feasible and acceptable.

If you are given a project where you are restricted to a specific


solution by the client, then, it is a contracted service, a job to be
performed, not a capstone design project.
The client gives you the problem/need, the constraints that need
to be met, and some expectations as to what it acceptable to
him/her. After that, you decide the best course of action and the
best design that solves the problem.
6. The design problem must have several (10 or more is preferred) specific
constraints, which can be articulated as a measurable entity and a
desired/required value.

A problem with no identifiable constraints is just an idea or a


piece of art. Real problems have real constraints that need to be
satisfied for the design to be successful and acceptable.
7. The project should require students to investigate further into a topic of study for
a successful design to be achieved.

If you can just flip open a textbook, and look up a successful


solution to the problem, then it is a homework problem, not a
capstone design problem.
8. A capstone design project must be complex enough that it cant be solved
with a high degree of confidence by simple conceptualization and parts
selection. Good rule of thumb: consider about 100 man-hours of work per
student over a full year.( reflected in the Gantt Chart)

Give it the Home Depot test: Can you solve the problem by just
going to Home Depot with a rough sketch of the idea, buying
parts ad hoc, and then fastening them together. If you can, then
it is a weekend project for a homeowner, not a capstone design
project.
9. A design project must be complex enough that you or your client will not invest
time and money in building a prototype without a high degree of confidence that
preliminary design is feasible, functionally satisfies the goals and constraints,
and is safe. And that high degree of confidence is obtained only by
engineering drawings and analysis. ( Design computation and
statistical analysis of results, scientifically done tests and validation)

Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

Assignment # 3 and 4
Deadline of Submission of Assignment 3 and 4 is August 1, 2016 5:00pm at the Deans Office.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Enclose submission in your group folder.


Short Bond paper.
1 margin in all sides, short bond paper, times new roman. 1.5 spacing
Include print out of the nearest prior art and five selected literature
Observe proper citation and referencing
Use IEE format for referencing
This will be 90% of your prelim grades.
The ten percent was based on the previous activities.

Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

Assignment # 3: Project Concepts


Propose a potential design problem you are interested in solving for your
capstone design. Your proposal must include the following information:
Field of invention : (Ex. Optical Networks)
Specific field
: Bandwidth Defragmentation Systems
A descriptive name for the project.
A need statement for the project.
A goal statement is a very concise statement (usually one
sentence), which identifies the overall goal of the project. It is clear
enough to understand the primary purpose, form and functionality
of the project, but is too short to provide any objectives, specified
constraints, or other design decisions.
A list of objectives for the project.
Objectives are the desired attributes of a design. They are the ends
that the design strives to achieve; they are normally expressions of
functionality and characteristics that the client would like to see in
the final product. Objectives are normally expressed as being
statements, instead of more definitive will, must, and shall
statements, which will be developed later as product specifications.
A short (but not vague) description of the form and functionality of the
proposed design solution.
Give a rough idea of the scale and geometric form of the object and
some of its primary required functionality. This is to give an
unfamiliar reader an idea of the scope and scale of the product (e.g.
is it a rooftop industrial sized system, or a personal, portable
system) and basic physical actions of the product (e.g. is this a
cooling system for flash freezing to cryogenic temperatures, or a
consumer cooling system for a room; just what is a PIV system,
what does a biopsy tool do).

Identify what the challenge is, i.e. why the problem cant be
solved with an off-the-shelf solution.

Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

Indicate if new technologies are being developed or what is


novel, new, and/or significant about the proposed idea.
What makes it unique and interesting?
Indicate whether or not similar products exist and give an
example of one if possible. If it is a class of common objects
(i.e. lawn mowers, ten-speed touring bicycles), then point
out where these products fail to meet the objectives for the
proposed project. ( You can do it once you identified your
nearest prior art and technology/product review, for
purpose of simplifying, you can include a table of
comparison of your nearest prior art with that of your
proposal)
Features

Your proposal

Nearest
Art

Prior Technical Effect

Identify the intended clients for the project


Clients for the projects can be faculty, industrial partners,
professional organizations or yourself. For this assignment you do
not have to find a sponsor or client, the objective is to develop a
project concept and identify objectives, form and function.
If the projects are from an external source, indicate the source and
whether it is a competition or an individual client.

Assignment # 4 : Literature Review


Objective:
The objective of this assignment is for the team to build a foundation of
knowledge related to their design project.
Assignment:
For the proposed design project, each team will develop research sources of
information that relate to their project. The information may include Internet
sites, books, magazines, technical journal papers, governmental codes and
regulation, standards produced by professional associations, and personal
communications with experts.
Submit a list of at least twenty sources of information including at least:
Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

TWO (course) textbooks you will draw information from


FIVE other books related to the topic (if your concepts are so new that
there are no texts on the topic, then your project may be more
research than design)
ONE governmental or professional association design code or
regulation set

For Internet sites, include the full URL; for all published written works, use
a full reference as per IEEE publication standards (check their website for
author guidelines); for personal communications, give the full name, title,
organization, address, and email address or phone number of the person.
Select the five best sources of information other than a person, and give a
short summary of the information provided by that source and how it will
help you succeed in your project. Articles in peer-reviewed journals are the
best sources. Peer-reviewed journals publish only studies that have been
carefully reviewed and analyzed by fellow scientists.
A researcher can narrow the search by reading abstracts to determine if the
article is appropriate and be sure to gather primary sources. A primary
source is a piece of original research. It is not a review, a report on someone
elses findings or a meta analysis. Secondary sources may be included if
necessary but should not be relied on exclusively.
Analyze articles, summarize, and write the literature review. Include
all citation information so that you have it readily available should you
choose to include the source in your literature review.
Critically review and choose which articles are most relevant for
inclusion in the literature review.
Writing the review
Compose a form of written story-like file with the following contents:

Introduction briefly describes the nature of the research problem and


states the research question
Body of the Review briefly reports what others have found or thought
about the research problem. Related studies usually discussed
together , grouped under subheads ( to make the review easier to
read). Major studies are described in detail while less important work
can be referred to in just a line or two.
Summary of the Review- ties together the main threads revealed in the
literature reviewed and presents a composite picture of what is known
or thought to date.

Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

Any conclusions the researches feels are justified based on the state of
knowledge revealed in the literature
A bibliography or list of references with full bibliographic date for all
sources mentioned in the review

Thesis 1: Capstone project : Assignment no 3 and 4

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